A masterful reboot of a groundbreaking series. The game fully owns up to its namesake and delivers an unapologetically kickass experience. Its gameplay refines the FPS. Every previous trope of the genre has been combined into a high-octane barrage of pure action. All weapons serve useful purposes, all enemies are fun to fight, and all the levels reward frantic player movement. The Glory Kill takedowns are exactly as fun to watch and to perform. Every monster closet has something in store to challenge and engage the player through its excellent combat mechanics. The only potential fault of the gameplay is how it paces its optional challenges. Going for all upgrades on Nightmare or above can be tedious, but it's generally worthwhile on lower difficulties. It seems best to just rip and tear on the harder modes. Doom's graphics are outstanding. The models, textures, and animations remain truly stellar. Seeing the same kill punches, breaks, and stomps never gets old. Its expert use of color, lighting, and particle effects go a long way to give an excellent backdrop for its forsaken world. It carefully straddles a line of being completely violent and gory, while also being lightly cartoonish to not appear too serious or realistic. The music and sound design are also exceptional, fully delivering a cerebral power fantasy for the Slayer. And its story is solid, as it provides a fresh take on Doomguy's lore and the UAC's profanities. It does everything that Doom 3 did well, and utterly blows that entry out of the water. It never wastes the player's time, making them wait for "the good part." The whole game IS the good part. Even then, with SnapMap neutered and the multiplayer mode gutted, this GOG release sets a questionable precedant for games subsequently released on the platform. Yet the real meat of the experience remains intact, with the Campaign and Arcade Mode being well worth the purchase. The game is highly recommended to literally anyone who can play it.
Stardew Valley is a truly fantastic game that has something for everybody to enjoy. All of its aspects are highly polished and deliver engaging gameplay. Building up one's farm, adapting the daily loop with new items/crops, and achieving Perfection are awesome experiences. Its game design allows for many playstyles to be fun, addictive, and rewarding. Every avenue of farming is profitable or offers other big perks. While there's usually a more efficient option to be found, it's always up to the player to choose whether to change things up or stick to what they already enjoy. Venturing out to engage with mining and combat is also highly rewarding, with many treasures and resources to find and improve the farm with. Fishing is an excellent pastime, with loads of different fish to catch and a great minigame to boot. The weakest aspect of gameplay is arguably foraging, as some items are not always worth seeking out, but it's at least satisfying to tidy up the wilderness for a small profit. The art style is solid with detailed sprites, expressive character portraits, and varied landscapes. The music is wonderful, capturing a range of emotions through each in-game season and environment. With over one hundred songs, the soundtrack offers cheerful springtime melodies, dungeon crawling bops, and comfy country ambiance. The game's story is also strong, with several player choices and very memorable characters. Getting to know and love each villager is worthwhile, with many of them having good backstories and development. The overall narrative carries a cheery tone, while refreshingly touches on more mature topics like mental illness, racism, and death. There are even friendly aliens, pirates, and talking raccoons, which is great! Upon completion, this game can definitely leave a hole in your heart. There are so few titles that offer all of these forms of gameplay, let alone implement each of them with such grace. Stardew Valley is recommended to everyone.
This game rocks and should be played by anyone who likes to make things go boom. The weapons, the general feel of the gameplay, and the soundtrack all make for a great experience. There is a solid roster of weapons and enemies here to keep excitement high. The double-barreled shotgun feels like a mobile cannon, the railgun lands satisfying snipes, and the BFG is both powerful and practical. Many enemies put up a good fight and have multiple types of attacks. However, some stages pit the player against loads of enemies with hit-scan attacks. This can feel cheap, but there is usually enough health and ammo to tackle any swarm. In the end, it is rewarding to shred through each level's challenges. Graphically, the emphasis on yellow, green, and brown in the art direction can leave something to be desired. This does help establish the game's own hellscape of a sci-fi warzone, but it could have used some more variety. The wobbling of models is charming, despite being a little distracting. Its textures are great, even with filtering turned off. The lighting effects are exceptional, especially in the Enhanced Edition. The music and sound design fire on all cylinders to deliver a testosteronic backdrop for the chaos. Those who don't even care for industrial rock can get behind the soundtrack. Many tracks are surprisingly melodic, catchy, and heighten every combat encounter. In terms of story, the Borg-infused mutants serve as a formidable adversary for the campaign. It is satisfying to accomplish specific objectives throughout levels in order to wear down enemy operations. In the newest episode, there is even a surprising reveal that deepens the lore of this specific entry. Quake II's gameplay and music excuse any complaints about its level design or color palette. It remains a stellar shooter, serving as a solid base for many other franchises built upon its principles and original code. Any fan of FPS games needs to try blasting some Strogg.
Quake is a fantastic shooter with a memorable aesthetic. The gameplay is fast-paced and consistently exciting. Its artistic themes are sufficiently spooky and have been seldom recreated elsewhere. This game evolves the classic FPS into three proper dimensions. It takes advantage of verticality in its map design, which is something that can be lacking in many shooters. Movement is quick for both the player and enemies, leading to many engaging fights in open and closed arenas. Every weapon has distinct uses, and the levels allow for freedom in combat approach without eroding each weapon's uniqueness. This release also contains a lot of content, with an easy method to gain access to more through add-ons. The newest episode, exclusive to this release, is of great quality and has a fun twist to the hub structure of the campaign. Multiplayer is also as easy to get into than ever with this version, and holds up quite well online today. Its art style is very strong and captivating. The several gothic cathedrals, foreboding landscapes, and oddly low-poly enemies all result in an excellent atmosphere. Its graphics skillfully compliment the high-octane gameplay, allowing the player to feel powerful amidst the rather otherworldly threats. The ambient music helps immensely to drive home the game's creepy vibe, with its use of strange instruments, droning tones, and incessant whispering. The title track also kicks major butt and illustrates the sensory experience of playing the game. Its story largely doesn't exist, but it properly frames the setting within Lovecraftian horror. Every aspect of the game culminates into an unforgettable playthrough. The gameplay is timeless, the graphic design remains unmatched, and the music is unnerving in the best possible manner. Historically speaking, developing Quake tore its studio apart, leaving it a fraction of what it was before. But, the end result remains an awesome experience that is highly recommended to any fan of action games.
Unfortunately, Doom 3 remains the black sheep of the series and is not greater than the sum of its parts. The player needs a lot of historical context just to understand the game's very nature. For example, this game should be viewed as more of a follow-up to Quake II's campaign, rather than Doom II. It seems more apparent than ever that its development was constrained by the graphics technology of the day, resulting in a slow pace and an emphasis on horror to excuse it. If the player has experience with any other mainline Doom game, they could be annoyed by how bogged-down the game feels. Since the first third of the campaign can be a slog, the gameplay doesn't give a great first impression. It does offer decent shooter action in the later sections, the expansions, and multiplayer. But many weapons are not very satisfying to use, as even the powerful Plasma Rifle feels lifeless. Fights can get tense, yet they are often short and don't quite reach a fast pace. Quick movement seems discouraged, as the game's maps are full of tight corridors. This works great for a graphics demo, but not for the sake of playing the game. The visuals successfully deliver a creepy atmosphere with some jump scares. The vectorized text on in-game computer terminals looks fantastic. The ragdoll effect on killed enemies remains cathartic. Upon close inspection, the real-time lighting system is novel, but it does highlight many textures which have a low resolution. The art design at the front of the graphics tech is good, albeit unoriginal. Its music is okay, as the focus on ambiance helps to make the game feel ominous. The story is derivative and boring, despite having many data logs and in-engine cutscenes. Doom 3 is mostly recommended to those who have already played all the other core Doom games. If it wasn't poised as a mainline entry, then it would be easier to recommend. The game would also be recommended to horror fans who happen to not be experienced with first-person shooters.
This is the most complete and organized release of a legendary experience. Decimating the forces of Hell has never been this simple and addicting. Every level pack offers its own neurological roller coaster of adrenaline, dopamine, and testosterone. The original Doom I/II campaigns remain a stroke of genius in gameplay, level design, and presentation. The new and old bonus episodes offer a steady continuation of the base games. The only packs of concern are the Final Doom episodes, which tend to drag on. Killing the same enemies with the same weapons over and over would prove tiresome in several other contexts. But in Doom, many repetitive tasks are just as exciting as they were the first time. The high speed and accuracy of the player create such a strong gameplay flow. All weapons have specific purposes, and many levels do an excellent job at communicating when to use which one. Also, the colorful, detailed sprites skillfully contrast with the moody lighting. And the music's MIDI blips offer computationally badass renditions of hard rock. Due to their maze-like and abstract nature, the maps of Doom can show their age and limitations. Also, the "report card" style of level completion screens can be ignored without much penalty. However, these issues do not detract from the gameplay experience. The wandering for keycards is necessary to break up the intensity of fighting in monster closets. Any lack of realism in level architecture is forgiven by offering an engaging playthrough. This current version offers several options for tearing through classic Doom. The KEX Engine remasters offer a very smooth experience, along with new mod tools/curation and other goodies. The Unity ports are redundant, but available. And the original DOS releases can be hacked to bits just the same as in the 90's. Also, the multiplayer modes are as accessible than ever here. These games are strongly recommended to anyone who has enjoyed a shooter within the past third of a century.
This is a fantastic set of classic action games. These games helped define the run-and-gun genre, which blurred the lines between an arcade shoot-em-up and a platformer game. Each title stands on its own merits and is a blast to conquer. The original arcade version of Contra is a solid game with a relatively short length. The home console version is iconic and adds additional stages to offer a more comprehensive experience. The arcade variant of Super Contra is surprisingly brutal, especially at its most difficult setting. My thumb was injured for several days after playing Very Hard mode for prolonged sessions. It lacks some polish and innovation compared to the first game, but is still worth the challenge. The NES version is far more forgiving and also adds some fun new stages. Operation C is a fun diversion. It is the easiest game in this collection, granting players a well-earned break from the gauntlets of the other titles. Contra III is also a great time, combining the best aspects of all previous games and adding some nice visual flair. Contra: Hard Corps is excellent. It contains the most challenge, content, and innovation of any game in this collection. Its gameplay places a focus on difficult boss encounters, which are a lot of fun to tackle. The visuals and soundtrack are top-notch and have genuine personality. This collection is worth the purchase for its inclusion alone. The Bonus Book of history behind each title is a great read. It is a primary source of information on the development behind all classic titles in the franchise. The addition of Japanese and European versions of games in the collection is appreciated. While the requirement of using an Xbox-based controller is questionable, this is a great release of some outstanding games. It is recommended to anyone who enjoys action games.
140 is a slick game offering an exceptional auditory experience. Its gameplay is impressively simple. The 'normal' levels offer an accessible and brisk adventure in rhythmic timing, and the 'reverse' levels offer a difficult set of trials that lack any checkpoints. While I found the final reverse level to be a bit drawn-out, the entire playthrough was inspiring. The music of 140 is outstanding. Each time the player advances to the next 'stage' within a level, there is a short transition sequence that emphasizes a new level mechanic added to the game. These transitions, especially for the first several encounters, are genuinely euphoric and are very memorable. The 'boss' music is also superb, with a couple of tracks vividly reminding me of nightclubs I have visited. This game remains a great case study on the base principles of platform level design, as well as audio design. I recommend 140 to literally anyone.
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Wasteland is a great adventure into one of the earliest post-apocalyptic video game worlds. So long as the player adheres closely to the included and outside guides, they are in for some fun exploits in nuclear desolation. The gameplay follows principles of the tabletop RPG, Tunnels & Trolls. Its digital adaptation here appears to be rather good, allowing for a variety of choices on how to build and manage an effective squad. All choices are important and can lead to many early deaths at the start of the game, as well as some sudden deaths in the later game. When the player can survive consistently, there is a good amount of content to experience in the Wasteland. Exploring each location is always interesting, with each of them hosting some amount of side quests and other entertaining encounters. The main quest grants the player a good tour of the world map. The final area serves as a comprehensive test of a squad's resources and capabilities. Its graphics are primative, requiring imagination akin to what a text adventure demands to fully immerse oneself into the game. The original and updated portraits of characters are quite good and offer some personality. The user interface can be difficult to adjust to, given that all of the controls are spread across many regions of the keyboard. The included fan-made soundtrack is very good, offering some appropriate ambience and dramatic movements to flesh out the experience. The story is a bit light on content, but it contains challenging imagery, moral corruption, and sci-fi gizmos that all make for a memorable journey. Despite its ancient release date, Wasteland is recommended to anyone with an interest in the setting and has the bravery to dive into an old-school RPG. May the true Bloodstaff guide the way to victory!
